Homecoming

To write about this week as building character in the big city would be cheating. The defining portions of this past week were about 800 miles from the city. I speak, of course, about going to Montgomery for my admission ceremony. To keep in the spirit of the blog, I tell the tale of our travel, and not of our destination.

Our trip began drearily enough with the misty, grey, clammy, Victorian-era muck-for-weather usually reserved for big “R” Romantic short stories. Onward we trudged, sleep-deprived, bleary-eyed, ill-tempered, half-drowned and rushed. Did I mention I had to do my own homage to the “Tin-man at the airport” skit? (Rings, change, wallet (magnetic money clip), belt buckle, keys, D-ring key holder, cap, sunglasses, phone, Bluetooth, jacket, shoes, and a partridge in a pear tree.) At long last, we made it to our terminal with time for food. I don’t know if the cashier had reached her top rung on the McDonald’s corporate ladder, or if her command of the English language needed that much more work, but either way, Kate and I nearly broke our noses running face first into that reinforced wall of a language barrier. After slowing our order down (as Southerners. Southerners! Southerners have to slow speech down for you? Really? REALLY?) and giving her several Mulligans, we eventually got food that was close enough for government work. Food does wonders to improve the spirits, and we were soon amusing ourselves until our flight began boarding.

We climbed aboard and found our seats. Tumbleweeds lazily bounced down the aisle as I scanned the rest of the craft for the other passengers. We stowed our bags and waited for take off. Moments before our scheduled take-off, the captain came over the speaker. In a moment of passenger pilot empathy, our captain spoke with a mixture of mild appreciation and minor annoyance that our flight was delayed due to a missing screw in one of the wing panels. The panel was held on by 20 other screws, but we weren’t allowed to take-off until that make-and-model specific screw was dug up from distant, dusty, long forgotten bin and installed. I’m glad the FAA requires these things to be done. I’d rather wait for a replacement screw than be told that maintenance doesn’t matter. (pfft, so what if one wing falls off, why do you think there’s another on the other side?)

So we had a delay. That’s what laughing at SkyMall is for. Let me tell you, people will try to sell the most bizarre things to a captive audience. Penny Arcade did it best years ago, and I think it deserves a tip of the hat here. Oh, see the map and the crossword? They still sell those! An hour later, the part was installed. I swear it must have been in the obscure hoard of some greasy shrieking gremlin that ambushed those poor unsuspecting mechanics in a shack on the far end of the airport. Those guys never knew what hit them.

Finally we took off. Let me just say, it was not a trip for those that don’t like air travel. The pilot handled the turbulence quite well. ‘Still felt like we were in the pre-crash sequence of every movie known to man. We went from “we will be passing out snacks and offering drinks momentarily” to “the captain has turned on the fasten seatbelt sign” mid-sentence. An hour and a half later, we were descending. The descent was smooth as gravel. We were glad to be on firm ground.

The rest of the trip was just fine. The rain was pouring on us most of the way, and most of I-85 towards the state line was under construction with closed shoulders and Jersey barriers on both sides. I hadn’t driven in two months, so it was a crash course in …er, steep relearning curve in foul weather driving. Adrenaline is your friend. Jeep-Jeep proved its value once again, and we made it just fine. Here are some of our pictures. Enjoy!

-Pete

I'm a real lawyer at last!

Due to construction, we couldn't take any photos on the courthouse steps. Still, nothing says "Special Occasion" like a picture next to a chain-link fence.

If you've ever wondered what Kate and I will look like in 25-30 years, check out the people on our left. This is Kate's mom, Carolyn, my dad, Sam, Kate, and myself after the ceremony.

Lunchtime! We went down the street to Dreamland, an Alabama barbecue institution, for some good (much needed) southern barbecue and a decent glass of sweet tea.